Montana Wrangler

by Charlotte Carter

  Jay’s jaw dropped open. “Are you kidding me?

  “Not a bit.” His reaction surprised her. After all, coming up with a compromise was his idea. “Living with Grandpa would help Bryan to adjust to his new home in Seattle. They’d be together, and I could take care of them both.”

  “Think of this for a minute.” His voice was patient but his brows were about as low as they could go, shadowing his eyes. “How well do you think Henry is going to adjust to living in a condo? He’s lived here all of his life. He’s got acres of land he can roam. His closest neighbor is a half mile away.”

  “That’s exactly the point.” She matched his reasonable tone with her own argument. “He needs to be around people who can check on him. Look after him.”

  Jay tossed his cleaning rag aside. “I can look out for Henry. And Bryan. Right here where they have lived all of their lives. You can talk to Henry if you want to. But I guarantee he won’t agree to move to Seattle. The best thing for everyone concerned is to let Bryan stay here where he belongs.”

  “I guess we’ll see, won’t we?”

  Paige carefully put down her cleaning rag and hung up the bridle. Jay Red Elk didn’t know the meaning of the word compromise. He wanted the world on his terms; no one else’s mattered.

  She wasn’t going to compromise if it meant giving up her guardianship rights. She was doing what Krissy had wanted. She had to. Because it was the right thing to do.

  And she’d always been the good sister.

  * * *

  After Paige left the barn, Jay worried some saddle soap into one of the older saddles.

  He didn’t know what he was going to do if Paige didn’t give some ground on the guardian business. Moving Henry to Seattle sure wasn’t the answer.

  Jay knew he had to do something. Deep down he felt Bryan would make good on his threat to run away. Outside of tying the kid up and stuffing him in Paige’s trunk, he didn’t know how to stop the boy.

  Obviously Paige thought otherwise.

  Maybe he needed another approach if he was going to change her mind.

  * * *

  Paige served everyone their dinner and sat down at her place. After a silent grace, she picked up her fork.

  “Grandpa, do you want some more mashed potatoes?” Bryan asked. Instead of his usual place at the dinner table, he’d moved closer to his great-grandfather.

  “I’m good, son. Got more on my plate than I can handle already.”

  Paige cut a bite of oven-baked chicken breast, forked it into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully. No question, Bryan wasn’t going to let Grandpa more than a few feet away from him until he was back to good health. He hadn’t even checked on Bright Star since he’d come home from school. Sweet boy.

  Yet that very sweetness and concern made it harder than ever for Bryan to agree to move to Seattle. At least, not without Grandpa.

  “Maybe after dinner we can play a game,” Bryan suggested to Grandpa.

  “Not one of your video games.” Shaking his head, Grandpa pushed his plate away. He had left half of what he’d been served. “My reflexes aren’t as good as yours.”

  “How about checkers? Or we could all play Monopoly.” He shot a pleading look toward both Paige and Jay, who had been unusually quiet throughout dinner.

  “Are you up to it, Grandpa?” Paige asked.

  “You know what I’d like, girl? I’d like to sit in my chair peaceful as can be and listen to you play the piano like your grandmother did.” He gave a sharp nod. “That’s what I’d like.”

  The eager spark in Bryan’s eyes dimmed.

  Paige wished Grandpa had accepted the boy’s invitation to play a game. Bryan was trying so hard to take care of him.

  “If it’s music you want,” she said, “we can start off with Bryan’s and my ‘Chopsticks’ duet. How does that sound?”

  “That’d be fine.” Grandpa shoved his chair back and stood.

  Bryan immediately jumped up beside him. “I’ll help you to your chair, Grandpa. Put your arm around my shoulder.”

  Instead of doing as Bryan asked, Grandpa ruffled the boy’s hair. “I’m not a cripple yet, youngster. I still got two good feet and the will to use ’em.” He gave the boy a one-armed hug, and they walked together into the living room.

  Pursing her lips together, Paige fought the impulse to tell Bryan he could stay with his grandpa forever and ever. But if she was to be his guardian, she needed to work. Her job was in Seattle. Therefore, she had to return to the city with Bryan. And maybe Grandpa, as well.

  Picking up his plate and glass, Jay stood. “I’ll take care of the dishes. You go ahead, play the piano with Bryan and entertain Henry.”

  “We can get the dishes done faster with two of us.”

  “I’ve got this. Go on and do your thing.” He turned on the water to rinse his plate, then ran the garbage disposal.

  The racket made it impossible for him to hear her. His silent dinner suggested he didn’t want to talk to her at all. He wanted to avoid her.

  Because he didn’t like her idea of compromise.

  A troubled sigh escaped her lungs.

  In the living room, she enticed Bryan to join her at the piano. They ran through “Chopsticks” several times before he got bored. Then he plopped himself in the upholstered chair next to Grandpa in his recliner. Being physically close to Grandpa seemed to give Bryan comfort, so Paige didn’t complain. As he saw Grandpa’s health improving, surely his fears would ease.

  In the bookcase near the piano, she found some sheet music of old familiar tunes: “Beautiful Dreamer” and “Oh, Susanna!” and “Home on the Range.” Tunes Grandma Lisbeth had played.

  At one point as she was playing, she glanced toward the kitchen doorway. Jay was standing there watching her, his expression unreadable. Their eyes met for a moment. When she smiled, he walked slowly toward her, his dark eyes never leaving hers.

  The hair on her nape reacted as though lightning was about to strike. Her fingers missed the keys. She stopped playing. In the silence, she heard her blood pulsing through her ears.

  “How about you and me playing a duet?” he asked.

  She swallowed and licked her lips. “You play the piano?”

  “Sort of.” He slid onto the piano bench beside her. His thigh pressed against hers. “Mom has a piano. All us kids tinkered at it. In junior high I took up the guitar, so I can read music.”

  “You play the guitar?”

  “Not anymore. It was a rite of passage for twelve-year-olds back then. After that got old, we all took up rodeo riding in the junior division.”

  He shuffled through the stack of sheet music. “How ’bout this one.” He put the music in place.

  It was “Moon River.” Slow and romantic.

  “Looks good to me.” Her fingers trembled slightly as she placed them on the keys.

  “One, two, three.” He nodded and they began, Jay playing the melody an octave higher than the written notes.

  As they played along together, Paige became aware of the slow beat of her heart, matching the music, and the heat of Jay’s thigh next to hers. She pictured a big Montana moon on the lake. The water glistening gold. Jay’s arm around her.

  Thoughts of guardianship and Bryan slipped from her mind, replaced by dreams of happily ever after. A dream she knew couldn’t come true.

  Chapter Ten

  Breakfast was a quiet affair the following morning.

  Paige lingered over her coffee. Jay had eaten early with Bryan, then Jay went out to take care of his business. Grandpa had drifted into the kitchen later. He’d had some cereal before assuming his position in front of the television for the morning news.

  Paige knew she should check in with her boss. There was a midweek conference at the hotel for two hundred s
cience and math teachers. Somehow she couldn’t build up the energy to worry about the meeting. The teachers would surely behave themselves. Mr. Armstrong knew how to reach her if they didn’t.

  Picking up Grandpa’s dirty cereal bowl, she went to the sink to rinse it and put it in the dishwasher along with her coffee mug. She turned on the water. All she got was a hiss of air.

  “Well, that’s strange.” She’d had plenty of water when she brushed her teeth. What in the world...

  She checked the bathroom off the mudroom. No water there, either. None in the master bathroom. She wandered back into the living room.

  “Grandpa, I’m going to check something outside. Do you need anything?”

  “Not unless you could straighten out those politicians back east.” He tilted his head up to her. He was dressed in his jeans and a blue work shirt, but he hadn’t shaved yet. “Something wrong?”

  “I’m not sure. I’ll be back in a minute.”

  She checked for water pressure in the hose that was hooked up at the back of the house. Barely a drop dripped out. She checked the faucet on the side of the barn.

  Still no water.

  Jay stepped out of the barn, his long legs encased in tight jeans, his hat tipped back on his head. “What’s going on? You planning to water something?”

  “Evidently you haven’t noticed yet. We don’t have any water pressure.”

  His brows scrolled downward. “Why not? We had pressure earlier.”

  “You’re welcome to try.” She gestured to the faucet she’d just worked. Strange he wouldn’t take her word for it. That must be a guy thing.

  He gave the faucet a twist. “No water in the house, either?”

  “Not a drop.”

  “Guess we’ll have to call Roy Taylor. He’s the local plumber.”

  “Don’t call him yet. Let me see if I can figure out what’s wrong.”

  His grin turned incredulous. “Don’t tell me you’re a licensed plumber?”

  With her hand, she flipped the tips of her hair. If only he knew she had all sorts of untapped talents. “My parents ran a hardware store. You’d be surprised how good I am with a screwdriver or a pair of pliers, and how many things I know how to fix.”

  “This I’ve gotta see.”

  “Watch and learn,” she said with smug confidence. She glanced around. While working with her parents, she’d certainly learned a lot about wells that stopped pumping and how to fix them. The first thing was to check the power to the pump. “Do you know where the fuse box is?”

  Archie trotted over to greet them, her tail wagging.

  “Hi, little lady, how’s your delicate condition today?” Paige asked, reaching down to pet the dog.

  Archie sat and peered up at her, her brown eyes pleading for more attention.

  “Fuse box is by the kitchen window,” Jay said.

  “Great.” She strode off toward the house. She might not be great with horses, but there had been more than one occasion at the hotel when she’d had to turn into a handyman.

  Jay and Archie followed her. “I hope your plan doesn’t include burning down the house. Or flooding the place.”

  “I’ll try not to let that happen.” She smiled at the sound of Jay’s footsteps behind her and the relative peace and quiet of the forest as compared to the always present ambient noise in Seattle. When she searched for a new condo, she’d look for one that had a large patio. And she’d think about getting a small dog, both for herself and to keep Bryan company.

  Or if Grandpa agreed to come along, she could buy a small house.

  She lifted the cover on the fuse box. “Looks like someone planned ahead. They marked the fuse that relates to the well pump.”

  “Lots of smart people around here.” Jay’s teasing voice sent a tickle down her spine.

  She threw the switch to cut off the power. “Now, do you know where the well is?”

  “I think I can find it all right.”

  He headed off toward the back of the house.

  “Here you are. One well house with a very quiet pump. Maybe if you turn the power back on, it’ll start working again.”

  “Hmm. Maybe.” She eyed the pressure gauge, an old one which was stuck at zero. She gave it a flick with her finger. It didn’t budge. Thus, the most likely source of the problem.

  She looked up at Jay, who was standing so close she caught the scent of hay and horses. “I don’t suppose you have a spare pressure gauge around, do you?”

  He went back to scowling. “What makes you so sure the problem is the pressure gauge?”

  “My father used to tell customers that replacing a pressure gauge was the simplest thing they could do and to do that first before they hauled the motor out of the well, which can be a major project.”

  “Okay.” He pulled out his cell phone. “I’ll call Roy. See when he can get over here. He’s the local well guy, too.”

  “No, don’t do that. If he’s like most plumbers I’ve known, it’ll take him a day or two before he gets around to coming over here, and we’ll be without water until then.” She closed the well house door. “It will be quicker and cheaper if I run into town and get one myself. They’re not hard to replace.”

  “You’re going to replace the pressure gauge yourself?”

  She gave him a sweet smile. “Unless you’d like to do it and have the time.”

  His brows dropped down again. “I have to mail a package anyway. I’ll take you into town.”

  “You don’t have to. I can mail your package for you while you stay here and keep an eye on Grandpa. I shouldn’t be gone long.”

  “Nathan will watch Henry.”

  She wondered why he was so keen on driving her into town. Maybe he didn’t think she knew what she was talking about when it came to well pumps. “If you insist. I’ll get my purse and tell Grandpa where we’re going.”

  She went into the house, feeling pretty smug. Men were always surprised when they realized she knew a lot about repairing stuff around the house. It did something to their macho image.

  At least the thousands of hours she’d worked at the hardware store had given her that.

  She checked on her grandfather. He seemed quite content watching TV.

  “Grandpa, it looks like the well gauge is broken and we don’t have any water. Do you think you’d be okay on your own if I ran into town with Jay to get a replacement gauge? We won’t be gone long.”

  “We got a well man that does that kind of work.”

  “So I understand. But I think it’d be easier and quicker and cheaper if I can fix it myself.”

  Grandpa lowered his brows in a skeptical frown. “Go ahead, girl, if that’s what you want. After this show is over, I thought I’d go sit out on the porch. Beginning to feel like I’ve been cooped up too long.”

  That was a good sign. Restlessness meant he was feeling stronger. He seemed to be breathing more comfortably, too, so the medication was working.

  “All right. But I want you to stay close to home. Nathan’s out in the barn if you need anything. I don’t want you wandering off by yourself. And don’t try to fix the well on your own. It won’t run at all until I replace the broken part.“

  He grunted in what she took to be an affirmative answer.

  * * *

  Jay climbed into his pickup, sat behind the wheel and placed the package to his mother on the dash. Who would have guessed a tiny little thing like Paige could replace a pressure gauge?

  No matter what she said, he wasn’t convinced she could. There was a lot of rust on the screws that held the gauge in place. It would take some arm strength to twist those screws out. It’d be easy to break one off. Then she’d have to drill the screw out, not an easy job and seriously frustrating. He knew that from experience.

 
He’d rather pay someone like Roy to do the job.

  Paige climbed into the truck cab with a jaunty air and buckled her seat belt. “I’m ready to go.”

  He started the truck. “You sure you’re not being a little overconfident? Replacing a pressure gauge can be harder than it looks. Particularly one that’s been corroded over the years.”

  “We can get some Rust-Oleum while we’re at the store. Unless you have some in your tool shop.”

  “I’ve got some around someplace,” he grumbled. At least she knew what to do with rusty stuff. He’d have to give her that. But a woman like Paige, getting her hands dirty and wrestling with rusted screws? He was going to have to rethink his impression of her.

  But knowing and doing were two different things. He was pretty sure he’d have to give her a hand. If nothing else, he’d have to make sure she didn’t cross up the electrical wires when she put the new gauge in.

  * * *

  Jay angled into a parking spot in front of Carson’s General Store and Paige climbed out, following him inside.

  The narrow aisles made pushing a shopping cart a challenge. Periodic displays of canned goods or cereal boxes crowding into the aisles didn’t help. But Paige had to admit the store carried a wide range of products, including a whole section devoted to fishing gear.

  As she followed Jay toward the back, she noticed the postal annex in the far corner. Years ago, when Krissy had needed stamps, Paige had come with her to buy them. Not a particularly exciting outing.

  She lingered back while he went up to the counter.

  “Hello there, young man.” A short, stout woman who could barely see over the postal counter greeted Jay. “They must be keeping you busy with those horses.”

  “Most days, Valrie.” He slid the package toward the clerk.

  She checked the address. “Oh, how nice. Sending a present to your mother?”

  “Her birthday’s coming. I’d be in deep trouble if I didn’t remember her.”

  “You surely would.” Laughing, Valrie weighed the package. “Heavy for its size. What’s she getting?”